The Supreme Court will today hear the plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of Republic Day on January 26. The Centre had, in an earlier petition, said that such a protest would mar "the august occasion of the Republic Day". The farmer unions had sought dismissal of the plea.
SC-appointed panel to meet tomorrow
The Supreme Court-appointed committee on the three new farm laws will hold its first meeting on January 19. In an "extraordinary" interim order on January 12, a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde had stayed the implementation of the new farm laws till further orders and had constituted a four-member panel to listen to the grievances and make recommendations to resolve the impasse. The committee comprised Bhupinder Singh Mann, national president of Bhartiya Kisan Union; Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi, Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices; and Anil Ghanwat, president of Shetkari Sanghatana.
The court's efforts seem to have hit a hurdle as Mann recused himself from the committee on January 14.
The farmers' body said the principle of natural justice is going to be violated as those appointed to the four-member committee "have already supported these laws". It has also sought dismissal of a plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march on January 26.
Come to the table, says Union minister
Ahead of the tenth round of talks scheduled on January 19, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday urged the protesting farm leaders to give up their "stubborn" stand on the new farm laws and come for a clause by clause discussion. "Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn," Tomar told reporters.
The government wants farmer leaders to come for clause by clause discussion at the next meeting on January 19. Except for the demand of repealing the laws, the government is ready to consider "seriously and with an open heart" other alternatives, he said.
Tomar said the government offered certain concessions, but the farmer leaders have not shown flexibility and were constantly demanding a repeal of the laws. He reiterated that the government makes laws for the entire country. Many farmers, experts and other stakeholders have supported the laws. So far, the nine rounds of formal talks between the Centre and 41 farmer unions have failed to yield any concrete results to end the long-running protest at Delhi's borders as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts.
-Inputs from agencies
